Chicks with masks
I don’t usually blog on fashion, but then fashion doesn’t usually knock me flat the way this did:
According to Stephanie Rosenbloom at NYT, this woven mask and matching dress by Viktor & Rolf is an example of an emerging trend of obscuring model’s faces. Some fashion commentators think the trend is misogynistic. But I can’t help but find the mask-and-pretty-party-dress ensemble irresistibly creepy and alluring. Some scoffed at the accusations of misogyny, telling us not to over-interpret a few bits of cloth and silver. But haute couture is meant for interpretation, or it would all be wearable and consumer-friendly. I see the masks as male defense against the feminine mystique. Why cover her face, if not to protect yourself from it?
Clearly the masks have a dark power; the more I look at them, the more I want to wear one.
March 6th, 2006 at 10:39 am | Promoted
When I first saw the mask, I thought it was a fencing mask. I thought, “Maybe it’s not misogynistic, maybe it’s empowering - women can defend themselves with foils and epees.” But then I thought, isn’t fencing in a couture dress sort of like June Cleaver vaccuuming in heels and pearls?
Then I realized it’s not a fencing mask at all. It is made of hair.
March 6th, 2006 at 10:44 am
Yeah, I think we shouldn’t be thinking in terms of misogynistic vs. empowering here. We need to be thinking,
“How can I make a mask out of my own hair?”
Talk about a good way to pass time at the asylum.the